Every one of us is covered by the darkness of ajñāna. What is that ajñāna? "I am this body." "I am Indian," "I am American," "I am Andhra," "I am Bengali," "I am this," "I am that." So there is fighting, due to this ajñāna. So first of all we have to drive away this ajñāna. Therefore Kṛṣṇa is teaching Arjuna that "You are not this body. You are spirit soul." This is the first spiritual instruction by the authority to anyone, that "You are not this body."
So by chanting Hare Kṛṣṇa mantra . . . it is the medicine recommended in the śāstra, ceto-darpaṇa-mārjanam (CC Antya 20.12). That dust of ignorance is moved. He can understand that, "I am not this body, I am spirit soul, part and parcel of Kṛṣṇa. My duty is to serve Kṛṣṇa." In this way, he becomes enlightened gradually.
Indian man: One question, Swāmījī: Lord Kṛṣṇa has claimed in the past He was existing; in present He exists; in future He will be. In what form Kṛṣṇa has got?
Prabhupāda: Just like you have dressed now, covered yourself with some type of dress. So if you change your dress, does it mean that you are finished?
Indian man: But what He . . .
Prabhupāda: Try to understand: You are now in my presence dressed in a certain type of covering. Now, if you change this covering, does it mean you are finished?
Indian man: No, sir.
Prabhupāda: Similarly, this body, this material body, has been explained as dress. So if I change my dress . . . now, suppose I am now human being and I change my dress to become a demigod, or I change my dress to become a dog. It does not mean that I am finished. I have simply changed my dress, according to my karma. Karmaṇā daiva-netreṇa jantur deha upapatti (SB 3.31.1).
By your karma, you'll have a dress. After death, as it is explained in this verse, na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre (BG 2.20): the living soul is not destroyed after the destruction of this body. Therefore he remains, and his finer dress, subtle dress, is there—mind, intelligence and ego. So according to the composition of his mind he develops another gross dress. This is the process.
So you, spirit soul, you are always the same, although you are changing dress. Our problem is that we are perpetually changing dress, but our desire is to have a permanent life. That is spiritual education. You can have a permanent life, permanent dress, permanent knowledge if you become free from this dress-changing problem. That is called mukti. The Kṛṣṇa consciousness movement is to stop this business of dress-changing. Yes?
Indian man (2): So do you mean to say that Kṛṣṇa is also karma-bound?
Prabhupāda: Eh?
Indian man (2): Do you mean to say that Kṛṣṇa is also karma-bound?
Prabhupāda: No, no.
Indian man (2): Just now you have quoted the example, sir, that as we changing our dresses, Kṛṣṇa will also change that dress by changing from past to . . .
Prabhupāda: What is, I have explained?
Indian man (2): So just now you were comparing that as we change our dresses, Kṛṣṇa will also be changing.
Prabhupāda: Where? Where I have said? I have never said.
Devotee: That man's original question is, "What form is Kṛṣṇa in now?"
Indian man (2): No. Excuse me. His question was: "Kṛṣṇa was, will be and He is—in what form?"
Prabhupāda: Oh, his question was . . .?
Devotee: Yes. His question was that if Kṛṣṇa says that "Never was there a time when you and I did . . ." (break)
Prabhupāda: That is not correct. Kṛṣṇa . . . as we have got distinction between the body and the soul, Kṛṣṇa has no such distinction. Kṛṣṇa is completely soul. And if we think that Kṛṣṇa is like us, that is forbidden. Avajānanti māṁ mūḍhāḥ, tanu . . . mānuṣīṁ tanum āśritam (BG 9.11).
Because Kṛṣṇa comes before us just like a human being, if we think that, "He's also like me," then we are ass. Kṛṣṇa does not change His dress. Otherwise, Kṛṣṇa could not say that, "Millions and millions of years ago I spoke this philosophy to the sun-god." Because . . . because we change our dress, we forget what I was, what you were in your past life. Because you have changed the dress.